**FILE** Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. is shown in this May 11, 2004, file photo, in Washington. McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called an ad criticizing John Kerry's military service "dishonest and dishonorable" and urged the White House on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2004, to condemn it as well. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

2004-08-06 04:00:00 PDT Washington -- A group of veterans backing President Bush launched a direct attack this week on Democratic nominee John Kerry's war-hero biography by releasing a new TV ad accusing him of lying about his injuries in Vietnam and dishonoring fellow veterans by speaking out against the war.

But the 60-second television commercial, being aired in three battleground states in the presidential race, sparked a furious response Thursday from Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, who called the ad "dishonest and dishonorable" and urged the White House to condemn it.

The White House declined but distanced the president from the group's critique of Kerry.

"We have not and we will not question Sen. Kerry's service in Vietnam," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The skirmish over the new ad -- as well as a soon-to-be published book detailing the allegations -- is part of larger fight between the Bush and Kerry campaigns over who has the best credentials on the issue of national security. Throughout the race, Kerry has cited his combat experience in Vietnam as a central reason voters should trust him to handle the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism.

On Thursday, Kerry went a step further by criticizing Bush's response in the first moments after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Democratic nominee criticized the president for continuing to read a book to students in a Florida classroom for almost seven minutes after being told by his chief of staff that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center.

"Had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear, 'America is under attack,' I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the president of the United States had something that he needed to attend to, and I would have attended to it," Kerry told a conference of minority journalists gathered in Washington, D.C.

In interviews, Bush has explained that he continued the school event for a few moments to avoid displaying a sense of panic to the children and to the country.

But the political focus Thursday was on the new ad by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group of 250 members who oppose Kerry. The group released the TV commercial Wednesday to try to counter the image of Kerry at last week's Democratic National Convention, where he was surrounded on stage of the FleetCenter by former crewmates in Vietnam who touted his bravery during the four months in 1969 when he commanded a Navy swift boat in the Mekong Delta.

The ad, using black-and-white images of Kerry and testimonials by veterans who served on other swift boats, seeks to undercut the Democratic nominee's credibility by questioning the wounds he received in combat, for which he received a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts.

"John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam," said Lt. Commander George Elliott.

"John Kerry is no war hero," said Lt. Bob Elder, who commanded another swift boat.

Several of the veterans in the ad accuse Kerry of exaggerating or lying about the extent of his injuries to receive medals. Medical officer Lewis Letson said, "I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury."

Letson first made his charge this past spring. The Kerry campaign pointed out, as it had last spring, that another doctor signed Kerry's treatment record for the wounds that led to the award of his first Purple Heart.

The group is hoping to gain more attention for its claims by releasing a book on Kerry's war record, titled "Unfit for Command," on Aug. 15.

Kerry's best defense may come from his fellow crewmates on his swift boat. All surviving members from his boat are supporting his campaign. In a conference call set up by the Kerry campaign Wednesday, his crewmate Gene Thorson dismissed the latest attacks as "garbage."

"These people weren't there with John Kerry," Thorson told reporters.

The Kerry campaign has also sought to undermine the group's claims by noting that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is being financed by major Republican donors, including contributors to Bush.

According to tax documents, of the $158,700 the group collected between April and June, $100,000 was donated by Bob Perry, a Texas home builder and longtime Republican donor.

Perry and his wife, Doylene, each gave Bush the maximum individual contribution of $2,000 in July 2003. Perry also has given more than $900,000 to outside campaign groups supporting Republican causes since 2000, including $300,000 to the Majority Leader's Fund, a group run by former Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas, and $165,000 to Texans for a Republican Majority, a group affiliated with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, according to the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign finance watchdog group.

The group's ads gained little attention when they were first announced Wednesday -- partly because the ad buy was relatively small. The group said it would spend $500,000 to air the commercial in Ohio, Wisconsin and West Virginia, and Kerry aides claim the media buy is less than $200,000. But the TV spots became a center of controversy Thursday when McCain, in an interview with the Associated Press, harshly criticized the ad.

"It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," McCain said, referring to attacks on his military record during the 2000 Republican primary race by supporters of Bush. At the time, Kerry and other senators who served in Vietnam came to McCain's defense. Kerry and McCain also worked together in the 1990s on resolving the question of American soldiers missing in action in Vietnam, which led to normalized relations between the countries.

"I deplore this kind of politics," McCain told the Associated Press. "I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. As it is, none of these individuals served on the boat (Kerry) commanded. Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. I think George Bush served honorably in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War."

The group's founder, retired Rear Adm. Roy Hoffmann, responded in a statement: "We respect Sen. McCain's right to express his opinion and we hope he extends to us the same respect and courtesy, particularly since we served with John Kerry, we knew him well and Sen. McCain did not."

McCain, who is chairing Bush's campaign in Arizona and is a featured speaker at the Republican convention, which begins Aug. 30, said he does not believe the White House was involved with the ads.

"I can't believe the president would pull such a cheap stunt," he said.

The White House and the Bush campaign did not condemn the ad Thursday, but instead urged Kerry to join in a call for an end to TV ads by the outside campaign groups, named "527" groups for the section of the tax code they fall under.

White House spokesman McClellan said the president had been hit in this election with $62 million in negative ads by 527 groups such as MoveOn.org.